Samskaraprayogaratna: An Atharvanic Prayoga on Pre-natal and Infancy Rites

In comparison with the ‘three canonical Vedas’ which have many ritual works, Atharvaveda Saunaka has only two sutras, the Kausikasutra and the Vaitanasutra, and a small number of texts of a commentary type. The Samskaraprayogaratna, here edited and translated for the first time, represents an effort of referring to a superior ritual tradition, in the ever quest of the Atharvavedins of creating their own tradition and of making it accepted. In the introduction, passages of the respective rites from the Kausikasutra, Darila and Kesava and the two unpublished paddhatis (Atharvaniya Paddhati and Dasakarmani) are translated, most of them for the first time.